Choice Privileges - Change from Comfort to Quality

I stayed last night at a Comfort Inn in Des Moines, IA. It was an average to slightly below average Comfort. In the lobby was a large sign saying they were 'upgrading' the location to a Quality Inn sometime in June with all sorts of verbage about why this was an upgrade. ( It is the airport Comfort for those that are interested )

Now we all know this is not an upgrade. I have stayed in some pretty bad 'Qualities' , while many others are quite nice. I can only assume that Choice does not uphold as high of a standard with Quality as they do with Comfort. My assumption is that the owners of this location have decided to put very little additional money into the property and that Quality will allow this.

Does anyone have a different theory as to why this change is taking place?

That sounds very likely. However, I believe sometimes they are forced to change for other reasons such as Choice wanting all Comfort Inns to be interior corridor properties.

Don't forget the Quality franchise fees are 1 to 2 points lower than Comfort's. Add that in with likely required upgrades the hotel doesn't want to go through with (anything from adding flat screen televisions to completely renovating the hotel), and they decided to convert while still remaining in the Choice family.

That sounds very likely. However, I believe sometimes they are forced to change for other reasons such as Choice wanting all Comfort Inns to be interior corridor properties.

Don't forget the Quality franchise fees are 1 to 2 points lower than Comfort's. Add that in with likely required upgrades the hotel doesn't want to go through with (anything from adding flat screen televisions to completely renovating the hotel), and they decided to convert while still remaining in the Choice family.
Does anyone really know the requirements per brand for sure, or are y'all just guessing?

I know a Comfort Inn that re-contracted with Choice within the last year or two and stayed a Comfort Inn, upgraded to flat screen TVs and (later) improved breakfast offerings, but is an outdoor corridor no-elevator two-story motel.

Then I know a Comfort Suites that was rebranded to Comfort Inn & Suites (since not all of its rooms are suites, and even tho ones that are only use a divider and not actual wall), did redo the wallpaper and paint and some of the furniture, and upgraded the breakfast, but so far has not upgraded from old TVs (that would also require changing the furniture which is built "around" the TV, and could not accomodate the typical flatscreen), and is an outdoor corridor three-story motel with two elevators. But it's across the street from a Quality Inn & Suites, so can't rebrand to that, can it?

Both are in the OC (SoCal), where indoor corridor motels/hotels with three stories or less are very common. Ousting all of them would mean a great reduction in Choice offerings there. (And too many of them are already very near a Quality, so making them all Quality and no other brand sounds iffy too.)

So I see no evidence yet in the OC of Choice ousting Comforts who use outside corridors. Nor do I even necessarily see a requirement implemented brandwide here for flatscreen TVs.

Does anyone really know the requirements per brand for sure, or are y'all just guessing?

...

So I see no evidence yet in the OC of Choice ousting Comforts who use outside corridors. Nor do I even necessarily see a requirement implemented brandwide here for flatscreen TVs.

I'm not guessing on my claim - flat screen TVs are being required, although there is an implementation time frame (I want to say 2014). New bedding is coming next year at an additional cost. If a hotel is signing now and knows these items will be required soon, they may choose to reflag if they don't want to spend the money.

Additionally, I posted it before, but Choice will be losing many of the current Comfort Inns to Quality or an outside brand during their refresh period - anywhere from 300-400 Comfort Inns in total between the ones that don't want to spend the extra money for the refresh and those who are kicked out of the chain.

This makes sense. They seem to be trying pretty hard with the Comfort brand and having some sort of a standard in place.

I fully support their removal of these marginal properties from the brand that are outdated and refuse to update things as simple (albeit still costly) as bedding and television sets.

Overall, I find Comfort to be a good value. Are they as good as a Hampton? No. Are they as good as a Holiday Inn Express? I've been to some better than HIX Comforts and some worse than HIX Comforts... but I have yet to stay at a Comfort that I'd refuse to stay in again.

Quality... not so much. I will research heavily before any more stays at that brand.

I fully support their removal of these marginal properties from the brand that are outdated and refuse to update things as simple (albeit still costly) as bedding and television sets.
Bedding and TV sets (with a reasonable time frame) I understand.

However, it's rather difficult to (non-gimmickly*) change an outdoor corridor hotel suddenly into an indoor corridor hotel.

*There's a Sheraton in Ahaheim that's tried this, and gets lousy reviews for it: They put up some sort of curtains or other fabric or something along the outside of the corridors of one builiding to make it look like it had inside corridors. (I haven't stayed there, I've only read the reviews.) Yuck! I'd rather just have it stay outdoor corridors than permanently look I'm always in a construction zone or like the property is permanently "tented" for pests! :td:

Also, outside corridors are just considered more acceptable in some regions (such as coastal California) than others (regularly snowy-in-winter placers). I would hope they would take such regional differences into account, or they might end up with hardly any properties in some regions!

Also, outside corridors are just considered more acceptable in some regions (such as coastal California) than others (regularly snowy-in-winter placers). I would hope they would take such regional differences into account, or they might end up with hardly any properties in some regions!

Many single women strongly object to outdoor corridors and would like to know which brands clearly do not have them.

Also, outside corridors are just considered more acceptable in some regions (such as coastal California) than others (regularly snowy-in-winter placers). I would hope they would take such regional differences into account, or they might end up with hardly any properties in some regions!

The requirements for a chain can be waived for a specific hotel if there's a valid reason for it. An example would be the lack of pools in NYC midscale hotels, even if it's considered a brand requirement.

While I do not know if Comfort is requiring exterior corridors now, there can still be exceptions made. I know of Hampton, Homewood, and Staybridge hotels that have exterior corridors.

While I do not know if Comfort is requiring exterior corridors now, there can still be exceptions made. I know of Hampton, Homewood, and Staybridge hotels that have exterior corridors.
Yes, despite a similar claim on FT quite a few years ago that Hilton was going to get rid of all Hamptons with exterior corridors!